Member Spotlight

Good Health Takes a Trip: Inside Medical Tourism & Health Vantis

By Lucas Schofield

Many know the feeling of waiting for
what seems like a lifetime to see a medical professional. Leanna Christie and her friend Christy Evon were no strangers to dealing with issues like these, and it is what prompted them to start Health Vantis.

Health Vantis is just under a year old, and
the business was created to help people find private healthcare solutions to
achieve optimal health.

For those who are unwilling to wait, or
have been unsuccessful in finding treatment, Health Vantis connects people with
private medical facilities in Canada or the US. All of the facilities that
Health Vantis works with have been visited and personally vetted by partners
Leanna and Christy so they know what their clients will experience, and which
facilities are best suited to each client’s needs.

Leanna and Christy are both Certified
Medical Tourism Professionals, and it is their job to ensure their clients
receive the best healthcare available, and that their medical journeys are
positive. They do all of the research in order to provide customer-specific
options, personalized travel arrangements, accommodations, and to address
issues such as post-op care for the client so that they have nothing to worry
about.

“Our business was born out of a genuine
desire to help people find their options in healthcare,” says Leanna.

Both Leanna and her partner Christy have
experienced difficulties in obtaining a timely diagnosis and healthcare.

“It is frustrating, and can make you
feel powerless to get the help you deserve,” says Leanna. “That’s why this type
of work motivates us, because it allows us to give people a voice in their own
healthcare options.”

A typical day at Health Vantis can range
from talking to potential clients about what they can offer them, or in
conference calls with their partners at the facilities they work with. When
they started, there was significant market research, business planning and
logistics that needed to be taken care of, as well as marketing to let people
know about Health Vantis as a viable alternative to lengthy wait times and
uncertainty.

Leanna says it has been a rewarding but
challenging experience.

“We made a choice to send our clients to
the US and other Canadian provinces only, because we feel that Canadians will
be most comfortable and close geographically, and will receive medical care
with optimal outcomes.”

Leanna says one of the biggest
challenges they face with sending clients to other provinces or across the
border is being able to find star doctors and facilities that are both
qualified and affordable for their clients. She says that many Canadians are
wary of going to the US for healthcare due to how expensive it can be, but they
have been able to present their clients with choices that are reasonably priced
and similar to other medical travel destinations. They are not free like in
Canada, but they are affordable, she says.

Leanna stresses that giving people a
choice is what she finds most rewarding about her job, because it provides a
more defined path for them, and gives them some peace of mind and some
certainty about their health.

“We hold ourselves to the highest
ethical standards in our work, acting in the interest of the client,” says Leanna.
“That’s why we chose a transparent fee structure, so that our clients are
assured that they are given the choices in medical care that suit them the best.”

Perseverance and passion are needed when
working in this kind of work, especially as a new business. Leanna says that
having compassion for people is also necessary. Prior experience is important,
too, and her partner Christy brings that to the table, with 14 years in the
insurance industry.

But some skills had to be learned, and
both Leanna and Christy had to take a course in order to become certified as
Medical Tourism Professionals.

“I’m influenced by my
business partner because we both share a passion in getting people the health
help they need, because we have both experienced having to travel to get help
and to find the healthcare options we were looking for,” says Leanna.

Finding
a network of business professionals has also been an asset.

“The Centre for Women in Business is
becoming an integral part of how our business is able to reach out to the
community, how we educate ourselves, and to make some decisions moving
forward.”

Leanna says the
Centre has taught her a lot about her business. “I enjoy being
a member because it has given me access to many different networking events
that allow me to connect with other women who are small business owners,” she
says.

“This is important to me, because it gives me a level of support I would
not get elsewhere.”

It’s only early days for Health Vantis,
but looking to the future, Leanna and Christy are hoping it
will become the premier medical travel company in Canada.